Facts About United's Opponents... Marseille

December 17, 2010

1. Marseille are the French champions but are currently 5th in Ligue 1 after winning just 7 of their 17 games this season. Still, that only puts them 4 points behind league leaders and our former CL opponents, Lille.
2. Their highest scorer this season is Loic Remy, with 6 league goals. He joined Marseille at the start of the season from Nice. Their second highest scorer is 29-year-old midfielder Lucho Gonzalez from Argentina, with 5 league goals.
3. Gabriel Heinze plays in their defence and will be making his first appearance at Old Trafford since his bitter departure in 2007. He couldn’t get in the team when Patrice Evra joined, so after trying to get a move to Liverpool, United sold him to Real Madrid at a profit. This is his second season at Marseille and the 32-year-old has made over 50 appearances for them.
4. Marseille won the Champions League in 1993 after beating AC Milan 1-0 in the final. The Milan side included Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten, Roberto Donadoni and a 24-year-old Paolo Maldini. Basile Boli was the goalscorer, who had headbutted Stuart Pearce in Euro 92 the year before.
5. Their manager is Didier Deschamps, who played for Chelsea, Juventus and Marseille in his career. Liverpool approached him in the summer just gone to replace Rafa Benitez, but he turned them down. He won the title in his first year in charge at Marseille, their first in 18 years. After being linked with a return to Juve, who he guided to promotion the season before, Deschamps signed a contract that will keep him at the club until 2012.
6. Marseille were in the same group as Chelsea, finishing 3 points behind them. They scored an average of 2 goals per game.
7. United were in the same group as Marseille in the 99-00 season. We beat them 2-1 at home thanks to late goals from Andy Cole and Paul Scholes. At their place we lost 1-0, with William Gallas scoring.
8. Eric Cantona is from Marseille and played for his hometown club between 1988 and 1991, although was sent out on loan twice. During a friendly for Marseille during his first season, he booted the ball in to the ground and ripped off his shirt and threw it to the ground after being substituted. He was banned for a month.

Nice draw for Man Utd and Chelski.
Andre Ayew he looked great as Essiens replacement in the WC, my bad I thought he was a CDM?
SAF deserves his last pay raise, many personnel decisions to be made. Witch young one stay to be developed and who to buy? Wow Cleverly, Wellbeck Obbey, Meceda, talk on 4-4-2 of Real wanting the Little Pea and Man Utd interest in Danny Alves. Man Utd needs a hit they have swung and missed at Schnieder and Schwienstieger . Rooney's 25 this next reshape of SAF will be Rooney's prim of his career. Giggsy and Scholes are great but SAF must not think of them in his plans past being coaches and mentors to the young ones. I can't spell as you all know even with a spell check hehehehehehehehe pardon my posts for that.

Can Berba stay happy not being chosen in the big games? Can he play lone striker and Rooney stay happy out wide? What a gaffer that SAF to keep so many happy!!!!!
PLAY LIKE MEN AND PLAY TOGETHER AND A POINT IS THE LEAST YOU WILL EARN AND RECEIVE FROM SUNDAY'S GAME MY BIRTHDAY!!!! GLORY GLORY MAN UTD MAKE IT A HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR ME!!!!!!!!!! GO ROONEY!!!!

amazing to me how many "experts" are picking a chelsea win,ok fat frank's back big deal how effective can he be after such a long layoff,figure with sir alex reaching a milestone and the lads must realise a win on sunday you can pretty well put a fork in chelsea.could easily be a tie but at 13/5 for a utd win too tempting for me to pass over.

i hope both berba and rooney start,if not hope berba gets the nod rooney has no confidence in front of net,berbas first touch is also better so i quess its a toss-up between rooneys work ethic or berbas skill.before anyone jumps down my throat if rooney was scoring goals he would be first choice.

Here's the thing though. What if 4-5-1 doesn't work well against Chelsea? Looking at the last two Charity Shield games, Ancelotti's midfield diamond was suffering from our attacking approach. Maybe we are letting them off the hook by playing an extra midfielder. Maybe Ferguson will decide to drop Carrick, play Fletch and Ando and use Park as a left winger who will also become a 3rd midfielder if need be.

Yes, in fairness they were friendlies. But it's something I've noticed in the official games too. For example, the game at OT last April. We could have taken the game to them a lot more if we played 4-4-2. And going bit further back, in 08-09, we outplayed them in both games by playing 4-4-2.

Don't know honestly. Fergie knows a lot better than me. It's just that by the looks of it, 4-5-1 isn't a success with Chelsea as it is with Arsenal. Nonetheless, I still expect us to line up with 3 midfielders.

I'm feeling quietly confident, It's been 8 long years and our players need to put it right. It's a big game for United, but it's even bigger for them, because they're chasing us. The longer the games stays 0 0, the more they'll get desperate, and that's were I think we can catch them on a counter attack. I'm gonna go 2 1 United, with Nani being our main threat on the wing.

Come Sunday Fergie will do what he always does and spring a surprise,as long as Berba is there to knock in the chances that will do for me as he is the only one I'm confident will do it.Wayne will be good for making space so with a bit of luck we will get a very early goal then away we go,

No, not all. Berbatov drifts away from the penalty box anyway. It's that he won't put in a defensive shift like a natural midfielder would. I think that at times we are taking the 4-5-1 system a bit too seriously. It usually works for us away from home, but Sunderland won at the Bridge with 2 strikers. If our midfield duo performs well, 4-4-2 could work for us too.

CedarsDevil - one player I would swoop of that 11, bruce for ferdinand has when vida and rio play together it is the best patnership I have ever seen even better than bruce and pallister. but overall that 11 you picked would rape chelsea

Costas - I am worried for sunday because everyone seems to have pridicted chelsea will win, in the past I have seen loads pridict some teams would defeat united and it has happened but they are a wounded animal and that does worry me.

But united are a very unique animal that despite what they win they always seem to have more to proove than any other team. Look at Lawrenson said when he pridicted the game against arsenal, united have more to proove than arsenal despite the fact arsenal are woeful at home cannot beat any of the top teams and have not won a trophy in 5 years. United could win 4 league titles 2 european cups, 3 fa cups, 4 world club cups, and 2 carling cups from now until 2014. if they had a bad season like win a carling cup and failed to win the other trophys, united fans who are spoilt would want fergie out or the media and pundits would say united are finished, that has already happened in the 2009/10 season

Shit I started a great discussion then had to go to work. Thing is if you start with Berba and Rooney it can be a floating 4-5-1 on defense with Park floating inside and Rooney covering a shot left side witch will bring his fire and desire to the forefront playing defense will fuel his offensive game. On change of possession play through the midfield giving Rooney and Park time to flow into a 4-4-2 option at the times. Balls out on defense and look for the break but if it's not there play with guile and rest on offense. Looking for that bit of magic a Nani a Berba or a Rooney can provide. Rooney misses the crosses of Velencia. Nani has shone this year but as CR7 did he plays his crosses to late for Rooney's style.

I won't predict a Chelsea win, but there are some things about this game that concern me. It reminds me of one of these occasions where the champions are on the ropes, only to come back and beat their challengers, showing their championship quality. And that's what Chelsea are up against now. We could pile more misery on them. But, they have Lampard back and this is their chance to get back in the race.

Seems like it. Reminds me of the good old days when Graham Poll would officiate the United-Arsenal games each season! I feel that it's a lot weird that Howard Webb(who's supposed to be the best referee in the land) hasn't officiated this fixture in the last 2 seasons. How did Atkinson and Dean get the nod over him.

This is a tricky opponent. But I trust Fergie will study them well and do the right thing.We may have a stronger squad by then i.e Scholes ,Hargreaves,Valencia back. Hopefully with Scholes absence
till January Anderson will step up and seize the playmakers role. He defends better than Scholes.

Our options will be there. Maybe a few new signings as well.

arses could be highly motivated to play barca,may up thier game from now till then,cesc will be headlines news,with all kinds of angles to the story in the media.
Or it could be a burden to thier players especially if some of thier players get offers in January, I see this as a dangerous time for them ,either they up thier performances or they struggle and the pressure on arsene increases. It might force some spending in january.

as for chelski it cud also mean spending in january, and since thier squad has most of thier top players back in the team it cud be a nice run for them to get in form, and they will have the media purring again . Somehow I feel justice will be served they will be turmoil and few more shock results.

As for city ,thanks agent tevez for all his work. Just wow, after all the insults ,professional agency employed to dis us ,millions on stupid posters and all that,and the best part the super arrogant boasts and the icing on the cake someone at city claims mankini is like our manager. what a load of krap. Now they are all red faced and embrassed and struggling to save face.
Thank you tevez ,no one cud have dun it better. they will buy again in january.

spurs against milan,well they know they can score at the san siro, wether they have it to win the tie ,difficult to predict,ac milan are on the up finally and if they get better they might with zaltan overpower that spurs defence.

Manchester United are getting players back,and just maybe reinforcements in January, the team is getting stronger and playing better so I beleive we go thru to the next round.